The French are in an uproar over the wearing of burqas. The parliament has recommended a partial ban on the garment in public buildings. The burqa is the full islamic veil still worn by a relative handful of muslim women. Despite the fact that France claims one of the largest muslim populations, there are an estimated 1900 women wearing the burqa. 1900 women, in a country of 65,447,374.I am pressed to point out that the French have long prided themselves in their strong belief in individualism. The French Revolution was about choice over oppression. President Sarkozy has declared the burqa unwelcome in his country. He calls it a symbol of women's subservience. And when he calls the burqa "an affront to French values...which cannot be tolerated in a country that considers itself a human rights leader," the hair on my neck stands on end. This is a prime example of intolerance, Monsieur.
While the burqa began as a necessity, a literal veil of protection from raiding sands and men, it has become one of the most prominent symbols of oppression of our time. This has become a call to arms, and, as a woman, I am not immune to its siren cry. In Black Veil, Iram blogs that "the burqa or rather the woman in the burqa is seen as a passive, dependent and oppressed being who needs to be rescued by her more liberated and emancipated counterparts." I too would like to free every woman who is truly being held in place by the garment.
But the issue is not black and white, and nor is the range of emotions and responses it elicits. I understand without reservation the concerns over security and safety. It is unfortunate fallout of the world in which we live. I support without reservation those that see it as oppression of women as human beings. But, my friends, we are no longer a collective of discrete countries who happen to be co-located on this planet. We are a community of human beings. We are neighbors living on a single block. We should be embracing diversity, acting with tolerance, moving closer to unity. While it is our place to question cultural history and actions, and perhaps even to judge on occasion when human rights are in question, it is not our place to legislate what a human being chooses to wear on their body. It is in fact our responsibility to support our fellow human beings. Educate them. Help them to understand that there are a thousand other perspectives to consider, and that they have the choice to consider any of those they wish.
My belief is mine. And although I may believe with every fiber of my being that it is right, it is still within me to permit others to choose. We teach tolerance by exhibiting tolerance.
Just a thought...
I agree that it is not the responsibility of any governing body to legislate what we are permitted to wear. However, I also think it is our responsibility to "rescue" women from oppressive situations. As you know the burqa is not simply a modest garment, it is a symbol of oppression and control.
ReplyDeleteThe question is what is in the mind of the woman who "chooses" to wear the burqa? Does ANY woman freely choose to wear the burqa or are these women caught in a hopeless circle of helplessness and despair? Are they so oppressed that they truly believe they have no other option? Or even worse, are they in a male-dominated situation that offers them no options? Is their submission rooted in the fear of being shamed or eternally damned? If this is the case, then we are not talking about freedom of expression or freedom of choice. Instead, we should think of the burqa as a cry for help from a woman who has no means to rescue herself, leave alone choose garments that express her individuality. And it is our responsibility to answer that cry! Outlawing the burqa is probably not the solution. Requiring that young girls be educated and given options might be a more effective approach, but then we are possibly trampling on freedom of religion....hmmmm. Complicated, huh?
Your points are dead on, Mind, ending with education as the most effective approach. It is through education that we surface the meaning and applications of choice. Education does not trample freedom of religion. Forcing them to remove the burqa, in some cases, will.
ReplyDeletePublic education and the freedom of religion is a complex issue. The reactionary right in EVERY religion is profoundly suspicious of the public educator's focus on an expansive world view. Requiring that young radically conservative Muslim girls be educated in a public school environment would sadly, but most likely be unenforceable. However, if pigs could fly... :)
ReplyDeleteYour points are well taken, McM, and helped to further refine my own thoughts. The education is very much on all sides of the standing fences. I think that all countries need to educate our children about the rest of the world - really educate them. Highlight the cultural differences and similarities. Help them to understand why people on the other side of the world are who they are. Teach understanding and appreciation of diversity and similarities. From this comes a better chance at respect for the globe. The education of the muslim women needs to happen in their own worlds. And here I point to miracles like Greg Mortenson. Children are being educated. Girls who make it to fifth grade become leaders in their communities. It's a long and rough road still ahead, but think of the possibilities for paradigm shifts.
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